Digipak/Magazine Advert Images

Original images for Digipak and magazine advert

Still shots from music video

Shots from Digital camera

Analysis of Digipak 2 - Three cheers for sweet revenge by My Chemical Romance

The Digipak I am currently analysing is Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by artist My Chemical Romance. The band are Alternative Rock artists and this is made clear through their Digipak. The band name My Chemical Romance connotes ones addiction to drugs and romance. The use of the word 'my' adds a personal touch to the band allowing us to have a personal relationship with the band. This already invites a particular target audience such as rebels. By looking at the band name, we are immediately able to recognise that it is a band rather than a solo artist. The album name generates ideas associated with moral evil and corrupt human nature. From this, I can gather that the content of the album will based on the themes connoted from the album name. From both Digipak analysis' Ive learnt that albums that belong to the rock genre are usually named after strange & mysterious themes keeping most people from comprehending the content. The dark themes that root from the band name and album name are reflected and reinforced via the aesthetic appearance of the Digipak.

Rather than focusing on the bands personal image, the Digipak artist chooses to focus on an animation as the central dominant image, indicating that the album is based on stories that may have a distant unrealistic story behind them. The animation is a closeup of a couple with jet black hair, pale faces and blood on their faces. The jet black hair, pale faces and blood could link in with the Emo-subculture again inviting a certain group of people. The rough black background reinforces darkness, emptiness and hopelessness. As an audience we have a distant relationship with the band. The band member images are present at the back of the album booklet as well as cover. The album booklet consists of individual boxes per band member and the lead singer is at the centre. The fact that every band member is wearing black could indicate that they are mourning or trying to blend in with the background representing emoes. Lastly, the back cover of the album consists of a full image of the band with a white background. The white background represents peace, and innocence and the black outfits contrast this suggesting there is a lack of innocence within the album. The midshot of the band is at a normal angle, creating a sense of distance and the band members are posing with their legs apart whilst staring at the camera. This indicates a sense of unmoving firmness possibly representing character types of the band.

The album's over all appearance is mainly dependent on the colour scheme of the digipak. The digipak is mainly, black, white and red. Again the the three colour, colour scheme highlights and attracts an older target audience (14+) particularly, members of the emo subculture as these colours are mainly work by them, and will therefore appeal to them. The cd compartment is in the form of a comic book strip again reflecting the comical dramatic theme of the album. Towards the back of the booklet the sentence 'A story of a man, a woman and the corpses of a thousand evil men' also, reinforces the mythical theme of the album.

Here, i've noticed that the font of the band name is different to the other font on Digipak with other details. The bands name is written in a mixture of capital and lower case letters in white font. Each letter is of a different size giving it a rough informal look. The fact that the band are represented with informal font reflects and represents the band on the whole and attracts a similar target audience. The use of the bold white font for the front of the Digipak allows the bands name to stand out, as it is the largest form of the font on the page. This suggests that the bands name is the best method to draw attention and promote their music. On the CD, the band name is in red with a red dagger icon near it. The red name+ logo stands against the white background keeping the CD simple and easy to spot but also simply conveying the message related to blood, death and evil. The rest of the font is formal but not as eye catching as it is just about clear to read. This again indicates that the Digipak is dependent on the band name rather than the album name like most Digipaks and the font representing the band also indicates the genre of their music.

The CD is produced by engineer and producer Howard Benson. This appeals to the audience because Benson has produced music for other rock bands previously. This could attract fans of those bands and My Chemical Romance fans may be interested in other music produced by Benson. The band is part of Reprise records, founded by Frank Sinatra. This suggests that the record label isn't only one that signs rock musicians but a mixture, as it was founded by a Jazz singer. This may also encourage other fans that may listen to musicians signed to Reprise records, to listen to My Chemical Romance.

The band image is reinforced through the aesthetics including colour scheme, images, font style and also, the content of the text. These aspects attract a particular target audience 15-20-mainly teenagers. The comical look to the CD may invite comic book fans as well as alternative rock fans. The Digipak artist has insured that the parental advisory logo is visible at the front of the Digipak and the bar code is visible at the back. This clearly highlights the fact that there is be explicit content and violent references.

Analysis of Digipak - Fallen by Evanescence

The digipak I am currently analysing is the Evanescence album; Fallen. The band name ‘Evanescence’ means to disappear already indicating that the genre is associated with darkness. The bands create alternative rock music and their digipak reflects this.

Through the images the artists are represented as cold and distant although the dominant image of the lead singer on the front cover is a close-up. Although, the lead singer is staring right at the audience through the image, there is a sense of isolation. This is presented through the tinted hues of Icy blue. This is consistent throughout the digipak maintaining this theme that reinforces the genre. Furthermore, the lead singer dominates the main front cover of the album indicating that she is most important. However, we are still aware that it is a band as the name of the band is not the name of a person (something bands often do not keep). The artists Jet black hair reinforce the Emo/Gothic subculture as well as other aspects of the mise-en-scene such as her dark shade of lipstick, rough braided hairstyle, eyebrow piercings and heavy dark eye makeup. Also, the artist’s facial expression is stern and this also adds a tone of seriousness to their digipak reflecting their music style. The close-up shot allows us to familiarise ourselves with the artist but also feel intimidated. Additionally, the back of the digipak consists of the remaining members of the band drawing attention away from them in many different ways. Firstly the fact that the artists are at the back of the album suggests that they do not represent the band on the whole but contribute to the music they produce. Secondly, the fact that all three members are looking down and the image is taken at a mid-shot from a high angle, does not allow us to develop a personal relationship or be intimidated by them. In fact this allows us to feel like we have power over them as they seem vulnerable. One of the band members hand is closely pressed against the lenses suggesting he is trying to draw attention away from the band. Lastly, this image is blurry unlike the album front cover that uses a sharp defined focus. This also enables us to place importance to the lead singer that represents the band. In contrast to this, the inner pages of the digipak allow us to visualise the band together although, the lead singer is at the front. This reinforces the fact that they are a band that work together however, as expected the lead singer is typically selling image of the band. The fact that the band are in a blue room which is blurry and plain, allows us to focus on the band creating a sense of isolation as they are the only things we can focus on within a dull setting.

The album name is Fallen. This connotes down fall or could also relate to the concept of Satan being a fallen angel. The fact that the band already use religious elements within their lyrics ties in with the album name. Fallen represents negativity and imperfection within us as humans and the cold band image reinforces this. The font used is formal with straight edges making the album and band name clear to read however the band name is in bold as it is more important and therefore should be eye catching. The font however, has a personal touch to it, with sharp point curves near the edge representing thorns or a knife edge giving the band a rough edge. The use of white font enables it to stand out as well as connote angelic attributes such as purity, linking in with the idea of a fallen angel consequently subverting the stereotype.

The CD is co-produced by Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody and Ugly Kid Joe guitarist Dave Fortman. This enables the band to gain a wider audience as Ugly Kid Joe fans may be interested in listening to the album as well as current Evanescence fans.The band are signed to Wind-up records and this is visible in small print on the CD. Not only does this promote the record company but vice versa. The fact that wind up records promotes different sub genres within rock, having the record company name on the CD helps invite fans of other bands signed to the record label. This invites a larger group of fans. Also, the same way, an Evanescence fan may introduced to similar music from the same label as the band also helps promote the record label.

The band image is reinforced through the mise-en-scene, colour scheme, artist & album name. These aspects also attract a specific target audience; those who listen to rock music/belong with the emo/gothic subculture (usually teenagers from 14 to adults up to 38). The CD cover appeals to the target audience as it sticks to the basic colour combination of white, blue and grey making it suitable for and older target market (above 13). Also, the rough edged font suggests rebelliousness inviting teenagers. Lastly, the appearance of the lead singer invites people with similar appearances (often those who belong in the same sub-culture).

The plain black CD with a small logo representing the band allows us to place importance on the Digipak when it comes to observation and appearance. The Digipak artist has made sure that the bar code is at the back of the Digipak

Analysis of music advert 2

The music poster above is advertising musician Gwen Stefani’s album; ‘Love. Angel. Music. Baby’. By looking at advert we can immediately assume that she is a pop or pop rock artist. This is because of different aspects of the mise-en-scene including her appearance, font style and the colours used on the poster. As well as the central image, the album name suggests the different themes that the album will consist of.

The central image of the magazine advert is Gwen Stefani. The artist herself represents her music and we can assume her music is based on herself. The artist seems to be sitting on her throne and leaning in a relaxed manner. This could suggest that she has the position of a queen and connotes power and wealth. Furthermore, the crown leaning against her right shoulder and the jewelled staff on her left symbolises power, wealth and glamour. This reinforces her femininity as a musician and represents every female’s desire for glamour and beauty. The artist’s appearance also reinforces this factor as she looks polished and perfect. Her short and curly platinum blonde hair gives her a British queen like look. Her smooth complexion suggests perfection and her red lipstick could be seen as seductive as well as the position in which she is seated. Her white gown could connote purity and innocence which could contrast with her red lipstick. The background consists of various shades of gold and red which are rich and luxurious colours. The fact that the back ground is blurry makes the image look fanciful as if having this status is an illusion or a desire for the audience. The image of the artist is defined and clear however, the edges blend in with the blurry background creating a contrast amongst reality and fantasy.

The golden Victorian font blends in well with the adverts’ theme giving the artist a queen like position. The largest text on the advert is the artist's name. This is so the audience draw their attention immedietly towards the artist. The font is clear to read in lower case letters but has curly designs around the outline of each letter to make it look royal. Gwen Stefani was already an established musician when this album was being advertised and released. released. Therefore, using the artists name as the main heading of the advert will attract fans of the artist. The second largest text on the font is the album name to give the audience a clear implication of what the poster is aiming to advertise. Other details such as songs included are also stated as the audience may be familiar with particular popular songs that belong to the artist. The advert also states the artist's Gwen Stefani works with including Dr Dre and Eve. Both Dr Dre and Eve belong to Hiphop & Rap (different to the genre Gwen Stefani belongs to). This helps attract a wider target audience as Eve and Dr Dre fans will be encouraged to listen and possibly purchase the album. Information such as the website, album availability date, and who the album is produced by are all ways of promoting the album and encouraging the audience to buy it. The 'Target' brand mark is visible as it is the brand where the album will be available.

The album name; 'Love.Angel.Music.Baby' could be four different themes that the album may cover. The words 'love' & 'baby' both signify aspects of a relationship and Gwen Stefani's seductive look matches this. The word 'Angel' could also add to the fantasy based theme of unrealism. The advert is both a mixture of reality, modern day glamour and old fashioned fantasy.

On the bottom left of the advert the music album cover is fully visible and it is a zoomed out version of the advert. We are able to see that our expectations of the albums theme drift from being more power based to sexual. The full view of the central image allows us to view the artist is a sexual icon as her legs are open and she wears denim hotpants with transparent tights. The red lipstick works well with this and we are able to see her from a different perspective as a more seductive artist. This changes our ideas of the songs that the album will consist of from not just power based but the power of femininity aswell as a female's desire for glamour and wealth.
The album cover uses a long shot of the artist, creating distance between the audience and the artist and the advert uses a zoomed in image to make the relationship more personal therefore, promoting the album. The two Japanese girls on each side of the artist reinforce her image as royalty aswell as the artists passion towards 'Harajuku fashion'- something that many Gwen Stefani fans are already aware of.
Lastly, the advert uses a golden thin border matching the font, which addes to the fantasy based image as if it is a portrait with a frame rather than a realistic image.

Analysis of advert

The music advert above portrays the musician ‘Wretch 32’. Already we can estimate the type of artist he is by looking at the definition of his stage name. ‘Wretch’ means someone that is miserable, unhappy or despicable. It is easier for us to understand what type of genre he belongs to if either of these definitions is applied to him.

The central image of the magazine advert is ‘Wretch 32’. Therefore, the artist himself represents his music and we can assume that his music is personal and could possibly be based on his experiences. The fact that the artist is alone could also suggest that he contributes to every aspect of his music from producing to rapping as he was an unsigned artist when his ‘Wretchropsective’ mix tape was released. Therefore, his image represents his independence as an artist.

Furthermore, the mise-en-scene reflects the album content and the artist's style as well as personality. The artist seems relaxed as his hands are resting by his side near his pockets. His simple casual clothing including denim jeans and a white t-shirt could represent his lifestyle and reflect who he is as a person; laid back, relaxed, simple. The crucifix chain on his left hanging off his jeans represents his faith which could suggest that his faith and moral values may affect the content of his music. However, this is controversial as crucifix ornaments are associated with image today within urban music regardless of the artist’s faith - (fashion statement). The animated black ink spurting out of the artist’s neck contrasts against his white t-shirt. White represents cleanliness, purity and peace. The animated black connotes artificiality as well as impurity potentially threatening the artist foreshadowing the growth of negativity within the content of his music. The fact that the artist is gazing towards his right hand side shows his lack of interest towards the mass media. He seems to be focusing on something else, we as the audience are unable to see which builds up our curiosity and makes us wonder about what it is he is gazing it. We are therefore, encouraged to purchase Wretch 32’s album so we may be able to learn of what it is that he sees from his perspective. This ties in with the album name ‘Wretchrospective’ which is a word combining the artist’s name and the word prospective suggesting that the Album is on something from the perspective of Wretch 32. The central image of Wretch looking at something from his prospective reinforces the album name. The artist's face is focused as if he is focusing on something towards his right and we as the audience are curious about what it is hes looking at from his perspective. The medium shot allows us to become comfortable with the artist almost as if we are getting to know him. This helps develop a relationship that is close to becoming a personal relationship harmonising with the fact that it is a music album cover so we are encouraged to know the artist properly by listening to his music.

The use of the urban graffiti based background visually informs the audience on the genre of Wretch 32’s music; Grime. In many grime videos, the use of graffiti is evident therefore; having graffiti on the album cover suggests Wretch 32 is a Grime artist. In addition to this, the use of animated buildings with ink bleeding from them could represent the corruption of urbanisation and how it’s taking over an individual such as Wretch 32 himself. The fact that the black ink is spreading over the artist’s body suggests that he is undergoing change. The black ink suggests that the artist is bleeding black animated blood adding to the unrealism of the album and his life. The idea of darkness taking over him could suggest he has a dark side he hides or he has undergone many negative events. The use of line paper usually signifies a scrap book, diary or a young student’s notebook which is often personal suggesting that Wretch 32 is revealing personal events via his music. The lined paper bottom could also suggest that the contents of his mix tape are fictional, as paper could be used to note a series of unrealistic events. The fact that the background is animated suggests that the album may consist of fictional course of events or the artists life may seem like a cartoon; unrealistic. The black bird in the background subverses the stereotypes and connotations of peace and freedom attatched to a white dove. The use of black suggests that negativity has overpowered peace and freedom.

The formal font used for the album name and details on the album is White. This is so it stands out against the black background representing black ink. The use of capital letters makes the font look formal and clear to read contrasting against the background images. The first half of the Album name ‘WRETCH’ is in bold and the ‘ROSPECTIVE’ isn’t. This enables the audience to pay more attention to the first half of the album name as it is the artist’s name and a separate word. The artist’s name ‘Wretch 32’ sits well with the background picture making it look as if it’s part of the background graffiti. Rather than a formal name standing out against the background the artists name looks like his signature as it is going across diagonally and is informal. The overall font is not as powerful as the background & central image suggesting that the artist’s fan base will be able to pay attention to the magazine via the power of the images rather than text. The sizes of the text vary depending on the relevance of the information. For example, the album name is one of the largest forms of text on the advert drawing more attention to it so the audience are able to remember the album name over everything else.

The colour scheme consists of eyecatching colours that draw the attention towards the advert.
The most popular colour is blue. Blue represents masculinity and reinforces the fact that the artist is a male. Black represents negativity and white represents positiviy. This contrasts with the positive colours such as blue and white implying that the album reflects on the artist’s personal life which may consist of both negativity and positivity. The colours black and white oppose each other and create a contrast.

The genre the artist belongs to and the genre of the artist himself are both evident via the advert. The fact that the artist is black could imply that the music is most likely hip-hop, RnB or Grime. This is because of the stereotypes attached to black musicians as many black musicians are often excelling within the Grime, Hip-hop & RnB industry. So, it is more likely for a black musician to be associated with those genres as it is expected. As well as the background graffiti image, and the musician himself, the Artist’s name also contributes to the genre enabling the audience to forecast what genre the album will be without listening to a track on the album. ‘Wretch 32’ consists of a number and the word Wretch which means despicable. It is obvious that this isn’t his real name and is his tag name or street name. These names are often used within the Hip-hop, RnB or Grime music by artists suggesting that the artist belongs to one of these genres.

• On the left hand corner the album cover itself is visible so the target audience know what they should be looking for when they are going to purchase the album. The album cover is almost identical to the advert reinforcing the image within

• Furthermore, the advert consists of a list of featuring artists such as 'Ghetto' and 'Chipmunk' who are popular artists mainly within the 'Grime scene'. This helps promote Wretch 32's music as it may attract fans of other artists aswell as increase his level of popularity.The advert also consists of other promotion methods including logos of shops where the album is available such as HMV, UKrecordshop and 7Digital. The artist's myspace site is also available so fans or new listeners are able to access his music. Lastly, the release date is also available on the advert so, the target audience remember when they will be able to access the album.

Final Draft: Make-up by Escape the Fate

Survey results analysis

Overall the results from my survey for our draft video were generally positive and supportive; however we did receive some criticism which we are willing to act upon as improvements to our music video for the final draft.

The main concern from our results were the result from the question ‘What do you think more of should be included in the final draft of the music video?’ This is where the results were tied between the options of band shots and bullying shots with both 41.2%. After watching the video I fully understand there statements as I also believe there a lack of these shots. Here I am willing to make these improvements in my final draft of the music video.
100% of the audience answered yes that the music video was well suited to the genre. Alongside this was the positive result with 88.9% supporting that the music and visuals were linked together well. This is very important as the video has to clear in what it represents in the modern day.

94.4% of the audience felt that the performing/acting was realistic. This is important as music video’s have to show a level of professional and believable portray able characters. Also it supports that I am a good casting director.

In the final question the survey asked people generally overall responses which were majority positive however some did offer some advice on how to improve my music video. For example ‘the locker shot, when it slams shut looks a bit dodgy so fix it upother than that loved it’. I can fully understand this as I have also noticed that the section which the locker is slammed shot needs to be improved as firstly the sound has not been taken out and secondly the cut from the shot to the next shot is not smooth enough. Overall I am willing to make changes to make my music video professional and accurate.

By Archie Leigh

Survey results

Archie produced a survey, via 'Survey Monkey' to find out what worked well and what didn't for our target audience. He put the link up on his page so our target audience could access the survey and respond to it. Below are the results

Here I have included the responses that we feel are relevant to the development of our final music video

By Archie Leigh